KC Council will review streetcar contract with CAF

The Kansas City Council is rolling a $17.9 million order for the city’s streetcar vehicles further down the track.

On Thursday, the council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Councilman Russ Johnson, recommended approving a contract with Washington-based CAF USA Inc. for four streetcar vehicles and necessary replacement parts. The full council will review the ordinance, No. 130817, on Thursday afternoon.

The streetcar order is “piggybacking” on Cincinnati's order. It will take at least 18 months after signing the contract before the vehicles begin to arrive in Kansas City.

Money for the streetcars will come from the sale of $78 million worth of special obligation bonds the city issued in late August. Exactly how much Kansas City will pay is also unclear. The ordinance lists a contract amount of $17.9 million, but a fact sheet attached to the ordinance includes an extra $950,000, bringing the total to $18.9 million.

In other recent streetcar news:

• The board of the Kansas City Streetcar Authority Inc., the nonprofit group tasked with managing day-to-day operations and marketing, is moving up the date of its next meeting to Oct. 31. to accommodate a happening at 200 Holmes St., the site of Kansas City’s planned vehicle maintenance facility, said Ann Holiday, a spokeswoman for the Downtown Council of Kansas City. The meeting will be at 11 a.m. in the offices of the Port Authority of Kansas City.

Streetcar Authority Chairman Tom Trabon said the city told him that the event may be a groundbreaking or dedication for the facility, though he was not sure. He was sure, however, that the authority will need to draft a budget for the next fiscal year before the beginning of November.

Trabon said the authority probably will handle budget decisions in closed session during the next meeting.

City officials were not immediately available to provide more detail about the Nov. 7 event at the 200 Holmes St.

• During the Oct. 31 meeting, there will also be a presentation on the board’s conflict-of-interest policy. Trabon said this is being done to remind board members of the rules and to assure the public of the authority’s commitment to fair dealing.

“We want to make sure we’re open and everyone has the opportunity to participate,” Trabon said.

Charles Miller, an attorney Kansas City law firm Lewis, Rice & Fingersh LC who represents the authority, said Staub will not be allowed to vote on, or participate in any discussions or decisions related to Graphicmachine’s bids for work on the streetcar project. He said the authority’s conflict-of-interest policy is modeled on the Kansas City Council’s policies.